


Duplicity

by MyJediLife



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: A ginger dick, Alternate Ending, Angst, Ben Solo Has Issues, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is an angry puppy, Ben leaves with Rey, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Everyone Has Issues, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hux is still a dick, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Kylo Ren is an angry bunny, Luke Skywalker is alive, Luke Skywalker is still cranky, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey has issues, Slow Burn, Snoke is alive, SwoloFic, That's Not How The Force Works, The First Order sucks okay, everything is gonna be okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-03-05 12:32:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18828757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife
Summary: duplicitynoundu•plic•i•ty | \ du̇-ˈpli-sə-tē  also dyu̇-\plural duplicitiesDefinition of duplicity1:contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or actionthe simplicity and openness of their lives brought out for him the duplicity that lay at the bottom of ours— Mary Austinespecially : the belying of one's true intentions by deceptive words or action2:the quality or state of being double or twofold3: law : the technically incorrect use of two or more distinct items (such as claims, charges, or defenses) in a single legal action*******When Rey leaves Ahch-To and Luke Skywalker behind to seek out Kylo Ren on theSupremacy, she's not sure her plan will work. Is there still light in Kylo Ren? Does Ben Solo still reside within his fractured soul?In the lift going to Snoke's Throne Room, Ben Solo makes a split second decision - he can't sacrifice Rey to Snoke - and so, he plans a bold, last minute escape with her.Is there still light within him? Can Rey and he together bring balance to the Force, and, along with the Resistance, bring hope once more to the Galaxy?





	1. Escape

**Author's Note:**

> So... I have had this brain child living in my brain, feeding off my thousands of viewings of TLJ I have seen.
> 
> I am _terrified_ of writing Canonverse, people, so maybe be nice to me? 
> 
> Thanks as always to my top of the line Beta and moodboard maker, [Azuwrite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuwrite)!

[](https://imgur.com/Z2e7l7I)

Kylo Ren wasn’t sure if the woman standing before him was insane, or stupid. She had to be insane, because he had seen inside her beautiful, sharp mind, and found it to be intelligent and witty. Insanity it was, then, for no sane person would turn themselves into Master Snoke willingly.

 

He watched as the lift started to move upwards from the landing bay where her pod had come on board the  _ Supremacy _ , his eyes going to her for a brief moment as she approached him. He sensed determination, belief in her words – and  _ warmth. Hope. _

 

“Ben, when we touched hands, I saw your future. Just the shape of it, but solid and clear. You will not bow before Snoke. You’ll turn. I’ll help you. I saw it.”

 

Instead of his true name sounding like an ugly brand, from Rey’s lips it sounded like an aria, sweet and pure, and Kylo turned his eyes to hers before letting them drift down to her lips. How often had he thought about kissing those lips?

 

As the lift flew towards their destination, where Kylo was certain Snoke would kill Rey, he made up his mind. With a wave of his hand, the lift stopped ten levels below the Throne Room, and Kylo asked Rey, “Do you trust me?”

 

_ Of course she doesn’t. You’re a monster. You tried to kill her. _

 

Rey took a moment to regard Ben – because she  _ refused _ to call him Kylo Ren, especially when he was looking at her like he was currently.

 

_ He will turn. There is light in him still – I see it! I feel it! _

 

Did she trust him? They had shared conversations through their bond – Ben had bared his soul to her, as she had to him. They shared a loneliness that no one else could possibly understand. Both had been discarded and abandoned – was that enough to trust him? Rey knew she only had seconds to decide after Ben said the words – the lift being stopped would be noticed after a few precious seconds.

 

“Yes, I trust you. Ben.”

 

Ben looked back at her lips for another moment before nodding curtly. “The binders need to stay on. We have only a few minutes to make this work, so you need to listen to me and do as I say. Understood?”

 

Rey nodded, feeling the adrenaline flooding through her body. “Ben,” Rey licked her lips as he moved closer to the door. “Why are you helping me escape?”

 

“I don’t know,” he muttered, looking back over his shoulder at Rey. He hadn’t planned on helping her, and he most certainly hadn’t planned on defecting today. But then again, he had never planned on  _ Rey _ , either. Taking a step back, Kylo shoved Rey gently in front of him, as if he was escorting a prisoner somewhere. In a low whisper, Kylo said, “Once the door opens, you are to act as my prisoner. The first door on the right is a uniform storage room, we will be going in there as inconspicuously as possible. There, we should be able to find some Stormtrooper uniforms. There’s a transport going to a small planet to carry out a mission. We are going to steal the transport. It has to be done quickly. Understood?”

 

Rey nodded, looking up at Ben with admiration shining in her eyes. “Thank you, Ben. You won’t regret this.”

 

“We’ll see,” he murmured as the door opened with a hydraulic whoosh. The corridor was thankfully empty, yet Kylo still shoved Rey in front of him, acting very much like a conquering Knight taking a vanquished prisoner to their death chamber.

 

“In here,” he hissed in a whisper as they reached the uniform storage room, opening the door with a wave of his hand and a slight push of the Force. Rey stepped inside the room with Kylo, looking at him as the door hissed closed behind them. With a wave of his hand, the binders on her hands fell off, the metallic clang of them hitting the floor ringing out in the tiny room loudly.

Kylo glanced through the uniforms hanging in neat lines on the racks, finally picking one out that he thought would fit Rey. Handing it to her, his eyes were already searching for one that would fit him, and as he glanced at his chrono, he knew time was running short.

 

“Put that on,” he said in a low voice as he called a uniform that looked to be the right size to him with a simple tug through the Force. Rey was already working her way into her set of armor, and Ben was pleased to see he had chosen the right size for her. As he started the process of putting his set of armor on, he glanced at the chrono again. They had five minutes, tops, before Snoke started to wonder where he was – and Kylo wanted to be off the  _ Supremacy _ before then.

Once they were both outfitted, Kylo looked at Rey’s armor, saying softly, “You are now TZ-1523. Can you remember that?” Rey nodded in answer, and Kylo nodded in return. “Kriff. We’ll look odd without blasters, but we need to move, are you ready?”

 

Rey nodded, and Kylo hated that he couldn’t see her face. He sighed as he slipped his own helmet over his head, opening the door back up with a wave of his hand. As they stepped into the dark corridor once more, Kylo said in a whisper, “Move like you have purpose, like you are in a hurry. This way – just follow me.”

 

Rey had to take two steps to every one of Kylo’s, but she quickly picked up on how he was acting – exactly like he belonged here. No one seemed to pay them any mind as they got into a different lift and rode it down, this time, and when the doors opened, she made sure to follow Kylo –  _ Ben _ – Rey reminded herself, to one of the large transport vessels.

 

As they made their way onto the transport, a large hand came out to stop them, a trooper wearing the cape that marked them as an officer, looking at both of them. “TZ-1523. LM-2567. Where are your weapons?” 

 

Rey felt panic set in, but Kylo waved his hand nonchalantly, uttering the words, “We have our weapons and belong here.”

 

The officer looked at them both before moving his hand to let them pass. “You have your weapons and you belong here.” Rey blew out a long breath and followed Ben to the back of the transport. It felt like hours until she felt the subtle movements of the ship leaving the  _ Supremacy _ .

Agamar was a small, cold, rocky planet in the Outer Rim, and Kylo knew that the transport was bound for it. When it arrived, the doors would open, and Storm Troopers would burst from it, ready to cut down any innocent citizens who dared oppose them. The First Order had received intelligence that there was a band of rebels living on the planet, trying to recruit more people for the Resistance.

 

Hux and Snoke wanted to make an example of them. Kylo didn’t see the point. The Resistance was outgunned and outmanned by a large margin. One tiny settlement on one tiny planet in the Outer Rim would hardly matter.

 

_ The Supreme Leader is wise. _ The words came to his mind without much thought, and Kylo pushed them away, like flicking an annoying bug off his arm. He might not know what his future held – but it wasn’t the First Order, or Snoke. He turned his head slightly to look at where Rey stood next to him, and he reached out through the Force, sensing her resolve and her anxiety about making their escape. He also sensed happiness, and her Force signature was so bright it was practically blinding.

 

_ Darkness rises, and light to meet it. _ The words were whispered through the Force, and Kylo pondered them as the transport entered the atmosphere of Agamar. Perhaps she was the light he needed to balance his darkness.  _ The Force works in mysterious ways _ , Leia – his  _ mother _ , the word rolling through his mind with tainted darkness accompanying it – was fond of saying, along with  _ The Force wants what the Force wants _ .

 

Ben sent the Force towards Rey’s mind, hoping she would be able to feel the brush of his mind against hers. She turned a helmeted head towards him, and he nodded slightly to let her know it was him. Instead of trying to influence her thoughts, Ben simply thought to her through their bond:  _ Can you hear me? If you can, extend your pointer finger on your right hand. _ As he watched, her finger extended, and he let a smile come to his lips behind the Storm Trooper helmet.  _ Well, this will make things a bit easier. When we land, I am going to attempt to knock out all the Storm Troopers. I’m not sure if I can get them all at once, so be ready, ok? Once I have them all unconscious, we will drag them off the transport, take their weapons, and be off Agamar as quickly as possible. Extend another finger if you understand, same hand. _ A second finger extended, and Kylo steadied himself against the transport’s durasteel wall behind him as the craft touched down.

 

The boarding ramp started to descend, but Kylo froze it using the Force, sending out another wave of Force compulsion across the ship, targeting one side of the craft first, then the other. Rey stood beside him, watching as the troops slumped over, most of them dropping their weapons as they went limp and unconscious to the floor. One lone trooper remained unaffected, and as they turned, firing a single shot from their blaster towards Rey, Kylo put out one armored hand, sacrificing his hold on the boarding ramp to freeze the laser bolt in place.

 

He could feel the rage inside break loose at the thought of someone shooting at Rey, and so he stalked across the small craft, his lightsaber suddenly ignited and in his hand as he reached the sole Storm Trooper. He could feel the dark side sizzling through his veins, like quicksilver through his soul. For the power he felt, the darkness demanded a penance, which would be the Storm Trooper’s life.

 

He raised his weapon, about to strike down the armor-clad Storm Trooper in front of him, when suddenly Rey appeared, her hand outstretched as she stepped in front of him. Ben pulled his downward stroke at the last moment as he heard Rey in his head.  _ Ben, don’t go this way! I’m fine. Put him to sleep like the others… they were just doing as they’ve been trained to do! _

 

Kylo blinked behind his helmet, breathing heavily with the effort of stopping his attack, nodding once curtly at Rey as he lifted a hand, waving it briefly as he used the Force to make the remaining Storm Trooper slump to the ground like his comrades.

 

The boarding ramp was open now, and Kylo looked at Rey, nodding towards the opening. “Let’s start getting them out so we can get out of here,” he growled as he grabbed one of the unconscious Troopers, dragging them by the leg unceremoniously to the boarding ramp and tossing them the short distance to the ground after taking their blaster.

 

Augmented by the Force, both he and Rey made quick work of offloading the bodies, making sure to keep all the weapons with them, so it couldn’t be used against the innocent citizens of Agamar once the Troopers woke up. Once the work was done, Kylo pressed the button to close the ramp, and relief washed over him as it closed with a hydraulic hiss. They had done it – and he was free of the First Order. Free of Snoke.

 

He was his own man once more.

 

Kylo went to the cockpit of the transport, settling himself into the pilot’s seat and punching in the sequence to get them off planet as quickly as possible. He next transmitted the needed codes to the planetary control authorities, and as the ground faded away beneath them, Kylo set them on a course for Serenno. The planet had a large spaceport that Kylo was more than familiar with – Han Solo had taken him there as a boy more than once, and he knew they could easily obtain another ship with little trouble. Enough credits and a simple wave of his hand, and the erasure of memories, and he knew he and Rey would not be detected.

 

Rey appeared beside him, and as she settled herself into the co-pilot’s seat, she pulled the helmet off her head and looked at him, a grin on her face. “We did it, Ben!”

 

Kylo just grunted in reply, watching the Star Destroyer carefully for a moment before flipping the controls to ready the ship for a hyperspace jump. Only when they were in the proper hyperspace lane and parsecs away from the First Order did Kylo remove the Storm Trooper helmet.

 

Tossing it aside, Kylo stood, moving into the bowels of the ship and sitting on one of the simple, utilitarian seats, his hands going to his face as he took a couple of deep breaths in.

 

_ What have I done? Fourteen years – just tossed into space like so much offal. And for what? A girl who I’ll never have? Snoke was right – I am pathetic. I have too much of Han Solo’s heart in me. I could turn the transport around, go back to the Supremacy and turn Rey in, complete my training like Master told me I would. I will be powerful in the Force – more powerful than I am now. _

 

He felt Rey approaching before she sat next to him, her Force signature was a blur of excitement, light and hope – so much hope. It was maddening to think this tiny slip of a woman, with no formal training in how to use the Force, could be so powerful in it.

 

_ Master would never allow me to teach her. He would use her as he did me. NO! No! Master is wise… _

 

“Ben!” Rey’s voice cut through his silent musings, and he raised his head and looked at her, her hazel eyes shining with the inner light he had come to associate with her. His bottom lip quivered with emotion, his eyes leaving hers to travel down to her lips as he waited for her to speak.

 

“You did the right thing. You’ll see. Snoke will influence you no more, and the light will get brighter.” Rey seemed resolved in her theories, so Kylo looked back down at the durasteel floor, muttering a curt reply.

 

“We’ll see.”

 

….

 

_ “You are strong, my young apprentice. You will make a fine Master of the Knights of Ren, dispensing justice at my will. We will show the Galaxy the strength and benevolence the First Order shall bring to it.” _

 

_ Snoke looked down upon him from his dais, and Ben –  _ Kylo Ren,  _ my name is  _ Kylo Ren _ now – he had to remind himself, remained kneeling, his head bowed respectfully as he thought about his Master’s words.  _ Ben Solo is weak. Ben Solo was unwanted, unloved. A nuisance. Misunderstood.  _ I am strong now, and my Master shall make me stronger. _

 

_ The scene changed, and he saw himself standing above Rey, anger, hot and rancid, coiled tightly in his belly. He was better than this scavenger, stronger in the Force, and he could burn the Force out of her with one swipe of his hand. His Master demanded it, demanded penance for defying him by leaving with the girl – the filthy scavenger. The nothing. The nobody. She was nobody – she came from nothing. _

 

_ How dare she carry his family legacy on her belt, like it belonged there. His grandfather’s lightsaber, in the hands of a tiny woman who didn’t understand the ways of the Force, who couldn’t begin to have any idea of what she was capable of. _

 

_ Snoke’s voice rang through his head – deadly quiet and filled with promise. _

 

_ Bring the scavenger to me, Kylo Ren, and you can fulfill your destiny at last. Stay on your current course, and you will once more be the scared, weak child you were when you were at Skywalker’s Temple. Bring her to me, or go inside her head and retrieve the coordinates to Skywalker – then kill her. Fulfill your destiny. Bring glory to Vader’s legacy once more. _

 

....

 

Kylo woke with a start, his head snapping up and his eyes finding Rey, stretched out asleep on the floor across from him, her head pillowed on one of her hands. The words from his dream echoed through his head, and Kylo found himself standing, one hand curled tightly around the hilt of his lightsaber as he felt the anger take hold once more.

 

_ Bring her to me, or go inside her head and retrieve the coordinates to Skywalker – then kill her. Fulfill your destiny. Bring glory to Vader’s legacy once more. _

 

His eyes narrowed as he watched the rise and fall of her chest as she slumbered. It would be so easy to go inside her brain as she slept, and after retrieving the coordinates to  _ him _ – the infamous  _ Last Jedi _ – he would kill her easily, with one downstroke of his lightsaber to remove her head from her shoulders. Then he would return to the  _ Supremacy _ , to Master Snoke, to fulfill his destiny and receive his orders.

 

It would be so easy. So simple.

 

But it was  _ her. _

 

_ She’s nothing…but NOT to ME. _

 

One long finger reached out towards the button that would bring his weapon to spitting, fiery life – and then Rey opened her eyes, smiling sleepily as she looked at him, and all the anger slithered back into the depths of his soul, like a snake retreating back into its lair when it got too cold.

 

His finger curled away from the button, and he clipped his lightsaber back on his belt, taking in a deep gulp of air as Rey sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She stood, her eyes full of concern as she took in his clearly distressed state.

 

“Ben? What’s wrong?”

 

Frustrated at himself, Kylo snapped at her, his voice low and dangerous as he said, “Stop calling me that. Ben Solo is dead. He was weak and I killed him.”

 

Rey shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief. “No, No, Ben you can’t believe that. I see it inside you – the light! Ben Solo is still there! He never left you! Stop letting Snoke get into your head, Ben. You’re better than that. I know you are… Ben, please. Come back to me…” Rey moved across the transport until she stood in front of him, her eyes meeting his, even though she wanted to recoil at the raw pain and despair she saw swirling inside their depths. With a trembling hand, Rey reached up, her hand cool and soft on his cheek as she said softly, “You’ll always be Ben to me – because that’s who I see when I look at you. Not Kylo Ren, never him. You killed him when you left the First Order with me. Please, you know the truth of things.”

 

Kylo nodded stiffly before replying, resisting the urge to lean into her hand more. Her caress invoked more feelings than he had allowed himself to feel in a very long time. Feelings meant weakness – and weakness was nothing that was desired within the First Order. Weakness got you killed.

 

“I’m a monster,” he finally choked out, his bottom lip quivering with emotion as he tried not to give in to the emotions swirling within him – the feeling of brokenness, of being unwanted and discarded his whole life. His parents, his Uncle – they had all set him aside, marked him as broken, irredeemable. Snoke had seen something inside him, and had whispered lies, promised him power he could find nowhere else. At least he had been accepted by the First Order. He had been powerful, feared.

 

Now he had nothing but a stolen ship and a woman with no formal training in how to use the Force beyond the pedantic ramblings of his Uncle, who still believed in a faulty hubris that had long since passed.

 

“I’m a monster. No better than Snoke. No better than that insufferable General Hux.” Kylo would have tried to get away from Rey’s gaze if he could – but the transport offered little in the way of privacy, and so Kylo sat back down, his hands once more covering his face as he tried to deal with all the pain, all the feelings, that leaving the First Order were bringing to the surface.

 

“You were a monster,” he heard Rey’s voice, so near that if he reached out with one shaking hand, he knew he could touch her. “But even monsters can be redeemed, Ben. No one is ever truly gone, and sometimes we have to face those monsters inside us to become who we are meant to be. And you  _ are _ better than both Snoke and Hux – because you realized that you were wrong, and you left. Ben – I wish you could see how brave you are! I see it – and I’ll help you. I’ll help you through it. Please, let me help you.”

 

Ben felt Rey’s palm, cool on his cheek, and he leaned into her touch, letting it soothe all the rough and jagged edges of his soul. He wanted to accept her help, wanted to believe that she was different than everyone else in his life had been.

 

Everyone else had failed him. Discarded him. Labelled him. But Rey… the way she looked at him, like he  _ meant _ something to her. It was exhilarating.

 

“How long has it been since you slept?” Rey asked, and Kylo shrugged his shoulders. He was used to going days without sleep – Snoke had sometimes kept him up for days at a time as punishment, and when he fell over from exhaustion, his Master would wake him up with Force lightning, or other far more gruesome ways, ways that made him shudder to even think about now.

 

“Ben. Look at me, please,” Rey’s voice was full of tenderness now, her hand still soft and cool on his cheek, and so his hands left his face as he met her gaze with his own. “Sleep. I will wake you as soon as we leave hyperspace. Please. You won’t do either of us any good if you are so tired you can barely stand.”

 

Ben looked into her eyes, chocolate meeting hazel for a long moment before he nodded, acquiescing to her wishes. He somehow managed to find a somewhat comfortable position on the floor, where he could stretch out and use his arm as a pillow. As he fell asleep, it was to the sounds of Rey humming under her breath as she propped her feet up on the control panel, watching the streak of hyperspace through the viewport.


	2. Serenno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dark still fights its way out, but this time, there is light to meet it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, many thanks to my amazeballs beta, moodboard artist and friend, [Azuwrite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuwrite), please check out her writing!

[](https://imgur.com/0q0QTag)

Kylo awoke as the ship came out of hyperspace, the shuddering of durasteel below him drawing his eyes open, and he sat up slowly, yawning and his eyes searching for Rey. She was seated in the pilot’s seat, her slender fingers punching codes into the navcomp.

 

He stood, running a hand through his hair before he stepped into the fresher, emerging a moment later and making his way to the cockpit. Rey looked up at him, giving him a small smile before asking, “Feel better?”

 

He didn’t return her smile, shrugging as he settled himself into the co-pilot’s seat. Did he feel better? Perhaps physically – but his mind was still a seething pit of despair and confusion. What had he done? What had possessed him to leave the First Order after all the years he had invested in them?

 

The answer, it seemed, was sitting next to him in the pilot’s chair.

 

Kylo still wasn’t certain that he wouldn’t regret his decision – because he and Rey hadn’t exactly talked about their expectations for this little last minute rescue operation of his – but she would surely want to return to the Resistance at some point. There was simply no way he would be going with her when she did return.

 

Serenno came into the viewport, green and lush forests showing through the grey clouds of its atmosphere. He had never minded coming to the planet when he had been flying with Han Solo, as a young boy he had always been fascinated by all the ships he saw in the spaceport, naming them off as they came into view to Han as they walked around the huge facility.

 

They needed to find a legitimately registered transport vehicle – and Kylo knew this was the place to do so.

 

….

 

They walked with purpose through the rows of the spaceport, both of them portraying themselves as if they belonged there. They needed something small and quick – and well-equipped with weapons. Ben certainly looked imposing enough with his sheer size alone, so Rey felt relatively benign in appearance compared to him.

 

They drew little attention as they looked through the various ships, and when they had walked the entirety of the spaceport, Kylo led them out into the streets of the city and into a small cantina – which reminded her far too much of Maz’s Palace on Takodana.

 

They settled into a table, and after a moment, Rey looked at Ben. “So, what’s the plan, Ben?”

 

“We acquire a registered ship and get the kriff out of here,” he answered simply, looking around the cantina carefully. The service droid took that moment to appear, and Ben placed an order with it for them both. “We need supplies, though,” he continued after it rolled away.

 

Rey leaned in closer to Ben, hissing through bared teeth, “We need credits for that, don’t we?”

 

Ben gave her a thin-lipped smile before answering, “Don’t you think I already thought of that?  It’s covered, Rey.”

 

“So, what? We’re just going to buy a ship?” Rey was confused – if Ben had enough credits to buy a ship, it would make this whole ordeal a bit easier. Her eyes bore into his, and she huffed as she found nothing but darkness within their depths.

 

“Not exactly,” Ben replied as the service droid came back with their food and drinks.

 

Rey cocked an eyebrow at him as she started to eat, wondering just what Ben was thinking. She wished he would lower his shields, so that she could dip into his brain again – his head had been fascinating – and if she hadn’t been so terrified and clueless as to what was happening, she would have liked to know more of what he was thinking. She knew the loneliness in his head, the feelings of loss and abandonment – that was part of why she had felt so drawn to him.

 

But he was shutting her out – and she didn’t like not knowing what he was thinking.

 

They ate in silence, but Rey noticed that Ben’s eyes were constantly in motion, like he was always looking for danger in the corners of the tiny cantina. Was someone following them? Did he know something she didn’t? Perhaps he had decided to go back to the First Order, and Stormtroopers were about to come bursting through the door to haul her off to Snoke.

 

Kylo threw a sweep out across the cantina with the Force, picking fleeting thoughts out of the patrons brains. He had sensed  _ something _ , and was almost positive there was someone watching them. Could there already be a bounty out on him?

 

No… but there was one on Rey. He had put it out himself after Starkiller.

 

_ Kriff. _

 

“We need to leave. Now,” Ben said softly, draining his cup and standing.

 

“W-What?” Rey said, her mouth full of food, crumbs sticking to her lips. She was a voracious eater, Kylo noted wryly. Her eyes were wide with confusion, and she shoved another bite of food in her mouth as she waited for his response.

 

“We. Need. To. Leave.  _ Now! _ ” Kylo said again, huffing a breath out in irritation as he enunciated every word, so that she could clearly understand him.

 

Rey mumbled around her food. “O-okay?” Standing, she grabbed as much food as she could, shoving it into her bag haphazardly as Kylo started to move, his long strides making it difficult for her to catch up to him without running. With an aircake still in her hand as she fumbled to put it into her bag, Rey swallowed her mouthful of food as she reached his side, looking up at him as they walked. He was concentrating, and she could feel the Force working through him, sweeping outwards around them as they walked.

 

“Remember that VCX-100 we saw?” Kylo asked in a low tone as they stepped outside and started down the street, back towards the spaceport. He was tense, and if someone had even looked at them twice, Rey was certain he would snap them like a twig on an Asuka tree.

 

“Yes, it had dual laser turrets, forward and back, in case we needed them.” Rey looked up at Kylo, and he nodded at her in reply.

 

“Yes, that one. We’re going to split up. Go to that ship. Get onto it and get the startup sequence going. I have to take care of something, and I’ll join you. If I am not there in a half standard hour, leave without me. Understood?” Kylo looked at Rey, who nodded in return.

 

“I’ll see you on board. Ben?” Rey said softly as she looked up at him.

 

Kylo looked at Rey, one eyebrow quirking upwards questioningly.

 

“May the Force be with you.” Rey grinned as she split off from him, heading down a side street to double back towards the spaceport. She had obviously tried to avoid being followed before, using old methods to get anyone following her to lose her with a series of turns down alleys and streets.

 

Kylo resisted the urge to roll his eyes – clearly Rey had been around Leia Organa and her old friend Amilyn Holdo far too much.

 

….

 

Kylo found the ship registry office with little effort. It was near the entrance to the spaceport, and as he stepped inside, he looked around for a moment before drawing on old lessons taught to him by his mother. Sometimes, being the son of a Princess - and a Senator - helped him.

 

“Excuse me?” His voice rang out across the room, drawing the attention of the woman behind the counter. Kylo puffed out his chest, straightening to his full height and putting on an annoyed air of self-importance. He stepped up to the counter, eyes narrowing slightly at the woman.

 

“I’ve just purchased the VCX-100  _ Pleasure _ from its former owner,” Kylo tried not to cringe outwardly at the name of the ship before he continued, “And I need to register it to my family trust with the new ship name  _ Phantom _ . I am behind schedule to get home, and I need it done quickly and efficiently. I assume you can accomplish this for me?” Kylo let the Force drift into the woman’s mind, placing the idea that he had given her the papers for said ship already, and that all she needed to do was register it properly for him. Her eyes glossed over somewhat as the thought took hold in her mind, and she nodded.

 

“Of course, sir. I’ll just need your name and home planet for the registry,” the woman intoned, and Kylo gave her a tight-lipped smile and nod.

 

“Certainly. It should be registered to the Naberrie Family Trust of Naboo. Lucas Naberrie is the new owner.” Everything would check out, of course, and they should be allowed safe passage anywhere in the Galaxy. The Naberrie Family Trust had so many holdings, his mother and Uncle would never notice one new vessel registered to the fleet.

 

Or so he hoped. Being the last of a family line had advantages – and disadvantages, especially if his mother was keeping an eye on things – as she should be. Having no plan of action besides fleeing from both the First Order and the Resistance meant he had to improvise. Luckily, he seemed to be good at that – he was the son of Han Solo, after all.

 

The woman nodded as she punched buttons on the datapad before her, looking up with a smile finally. “All taken care of, sir. The ship is now registered to your family under the new name  _ Phantom _ . Safe travels back home to Naboo.”

 

“Indeed,” Kylo said, turning and sweeping out of the registry office, letting the façade fade after he had reached the entrance to the spaceport and could no longer be seen by anyone watching him from the office window.

 

….

 

Rey reached the VCX-100, smiling as she reached out to run a hand over the durasteel hull. She had always loved Corellian light freighters, and after flying the  _ Falcon _ – nothing could compare to them in her mind. Sure, there were smaller, faster starfighters, made for dogfighting and blasting other ships out of the sky – but the  _ Falcon _ had been built sturdy, to fly true, fast and steady.

 

Her love affair with Han’s ship would never end, it seemed. There was just something about it that she couldn’t shake.

 

Reaching the security pad, Rey closed her eyes, letting the Force guide her in finding the correct code to open the door with a hydraulic hiss, the loading ramp coming down an instant later. Letting the Force swirl around her, Rey was satisfied to find no one on board, save a security droid she would have to deal with. Stepping on board, she looked around, igniting her lightsaber only when the droid came to life, beeping in annoyance at the intruder. One sweep outwards with the Force had the power switch to the droid shut off, her lightsaber slicing through its circuits a moment later, rendering it to nothing more than two piles of smoking metal, circuits and wires on the durasteel floor.

 

Hopefully, the droid hadn’t been able to send a signal to its master, but she didn’t want to waste any time. Heading to the cockpit, Rey slid into the pilot’s seat, her slender fingers pressing buttons to bring the ship to life as she waited for Ben to join her.

 

….

 

He saw the dark figure sliding through the rows of ships after he entered the spaceport, and Kylo doubledback, ducking behind the transport ship they had arrived in. As the helmeted figure passed, he stepped out from his hiding place, his voice low and dripping venom as he asked, “Looking for someone?”

 

The figure turned, firing two rapid shots from a blaster, but Kylo had already anticipated the move, one hand coming up to stop the bolts in place, the blue beams of light hovering in midair as he stalked his prey, his other hand coming up to freeze the figure in place.

 

Leaning in close to the figure as he reached them, Kylo took note that it was a female below the purple, tight clothing, the mask concealing her identity. Fear radiated off her in waves, and he drank in the familiar cocktail, remembering how it made him feel – so  _ powerful _ .

 

“Who do you work for?” He asked softly, his voice leaving no doubt that she should answer him – quickly and truthfully. He could simply snatch the information from her head – but where was the fun in that?

 

“Myself,” the woman spat, every muscle in her body straining against the will of the Force. She failed in her ministrations, of course, as nearly everyone would.

 

“Hmm, well, too bad that the girl is my bounty today.” Kylo smirked, reaching out with the Force once more and intoning, “You never saw the girl or me here today. You will board your ship and head to Rodia, where she was spotted last.”

 

“I never saw the girl or you here today. I will board my ship and head to Rodia, where the girl was spotted last,” the woman’s voice was monotone as she repeated his commands, the Force coercion fully seated within her mind.

 

Kylo let his hold on her go, and as she looked at him, he nodded and said, “Good day,” before striding off, letting go of his hold on the blaster bolts only when he was sure they would strike the hull of their old ship and not an innocent person in the area.

 

He took several wrong turns through the spaceport, just in case someone else was following them, arriving at the freighter undetected. He sent the Force out for one more check as he boarded the ship, and as he settled into the co-pilot’s seat, he was happy to see Rey already had the ship ready to go.

 

Reaching out, he punched the appropriate codes into the computer code that would allow them to exit the spaceport and Serenno space, next focusing on putting the navigational codes into the navcomp for their next destination. Once that was done, Kylo looked over at Rey, raising an eyebrow at the look on her face. “Something bothering you?” He asked, motioning to the controls of the ship. “You should be concentrating on getting us out of here and into hyperspace.”

 

“Y-you used the dark side…” Rey muttered, her face flushed as she looked up at Ben. His eyes looked  _ dangerous _ , dark and glittering with power – reminding her of a time not that long ago when he had turned that gaze upon her in the interrogation room on the  _ Finalizer _ . “I-I felt it. It was… ugly. It felt dirty. H-How…” Rey stopped for a moment, licking her lips nervously before she continued, “You almost hurt someone, but you stopped before you did.”

 

“I did what I had to do. We don’t have time to talk about this now, Rey. Do you know there was a bounty hunter on your trail? We need to leave. Now.” Kylo raised his voice, and Rey jumped, gulping as she nodded curtly and went into action, guiding the newly named  _ Phantom _ into the air as soon as they got clearance from spaceport control.

 

….

 

As soon as the blue white streaks of hyperspace were all that could be seen through the viewport, Rey got up from the pilot’s seat, making her way back to the galley of the ship. Ben had left the co-pilot's seat as soon as she had them in the sky above Serenno, muttering something about checking to see how many supplies they had. His use of the dark force had her deeply troubled. She had hoped that by escaping the First Order with her, he would stop using it altogether, instead bathing himself in the light.

 

Perhaps she had been horribly, horribly wrong. While there was light in Ben Solo, maybe it was buried so deeply that it could never be brought to the surface again.

 

She found him sitting at a small table, clutching a mug of caf in his large hands. “Trouble with a security droid earlier?” He rumbled as he saw her, the slightest twitch upwards of one side of his mouth the only hint he was amused at the moment.

 

“Something like that. I handled it, obviously,” Rey remarked, biting her bottom lip so that she didn’t add on what she truly wanted to say:  _ And I handled it without going dark side, you moof milker. _

 

“Do we have enough supplies?” Rey asked, going to the conservator and opening it, eyeing the contents curiously before closing it and going to the pot of caf, rooting around in cabinets until she found an appropriate mug. After pouring herself some, she sat across from Ben at the table, drinking from the mug as she waited for his answer.

 

“We’ll be fine until we get to our next destination,” Ben murmured, his eyes going to hers for a moment.

 

“And that destination is?” Rey mentally chastised herself for not looking in the navcomp at the navigational map to see for herself – Ben could be leading her right into the belly of the beast, for all she knew.

 

“Coruscant.” Ben watched her reaction as he took another swallow of caf.

 

Rey’s eyes widened in shock, and she sat her mug down, shaking her head and standing quickly enough to knock over her chair. “You’re taking us to  _ Coruscant _ ? The headquarters of the First Order is based there… you… you’re turning me in, aren’t you? Kriff, and I trusted you!”

 

Ben raised an eyebrow at her, setting his own mug down as he spoke once more. “Have you ever been to Coruscant, Rey?”

 

She shook her head in answer, her face coloring in embarrassment at her lack of knowledge on anywhere that wasn’t Jakku or a Resistance base – or Ahch-To.

 

“Ah, well. It’s an ecumenopolis. A planet-wide city. There’s over a trillion people living on Coruscant. It’s the perfect place to hide – which is what we’re doing. You forget, Rey, if the First Order finds me, I’ll be put to death for leaving. I really don’t want to die, and I highly doubt Master Snoke would show much mercy on me, even if I did bring you to him. Then he’d just kill us both. I don't know whether to be offended by your lack of trust in me, or impressed.”

 

Rey snorted before picking up the chair and sitting back down in it. “Fair enough. I guess we, um, need to learn to trust the other. I’m sorry.” She eyed Ben as he shrugged, sighing before saying, “So, about earlier…”

 

Ben shook his head slightly. “I did what I had to do. My methods were my own. We don’t need to discuss this, Rey.” Ben stood, taking his mug with him as he headed down the corridor to the quarters he had chosen as his own. “Good night, Rey.”

 

Rey sat for a long time, trying to find balance within herself and pondering if Ben would ever find his own balance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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**Author's Note:**

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